It’s absolutely NO secret that I am a serious cheese lover. If you read my blog religiously or even follow halfheartedly then you know. Come on people…. my logo is a little mouse…. that’s because I love cheese. I’m getting ahead of myself, let me start where I received an email from one of my contacts over at Whole Foods Market asking if I would be interested in giving away a $50.oo dollar gift card to WFM on my blog to one of my readers. Of course I said yes…. Who doesn’t love Whole Foods?

It’s funny, cuz the second I think of Whole Foods Market, I think of their cheese selection. The mountains of formage that pile neatly in the corner of the store. It’s like a little hide away where one can run and drool. I also instantly think of making cheese platters for holiday parties or parties in front of the TV or maybe Santa needs a cheese plate instead of cookies this year. Today while I was at Whole Foods buying some cheese to make a party platter, I ran across a new little sign that read “Grab N Go Cheese $5.00 or less!” Can you believe? I bought a few chunks of cheese from the bargain basket, but then with all the savings I did splurged on nuts and olives. I’ll go over some tips for cheese making in a minute, but what I really want to share is this awesome event that is taking place on Monday Dec. 16th from 6p.m. to 8p.m. at Whole Foods Market in Long Beach. It’s called the Dressing Rehearsal…. It’s a free in-store holiday tasting event with chef demos, sampling of delicious holiday dishes and special holiday offerings. Pssst… here are the features of the event, don’t say I never shared anything with you:

Beer & Wine – Holiday favorites, pairings and sampling

Holiday Cheese Board – How to create

Premier Party Dips sampling

Coffee and seasonal treats

Alternative Holiday Dishes

It’s super exciting, and a great place to pick up a few tips! Not to mention snack on some yummy munchies. Here’s the address:

6550 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, California 90803

Here are some tips for BYOBrie:Start with your favorite brie like Isigny Sainte-Mère French Brie (exclusive to Whole Foods Market) and then grab pre-portioned toppers to mix and match, like dried cranberries or apricots, candied pecans, marcona almonds, honey, fig jam and more to suit a variety of palates. I sometimes add a bowl of olives. Or wrap the whole thing in pastry and add some jam to it, then pop it in the oven.

Would you like to enter for a chance toWIN a $50.00 gift card to Whole Foods Market?

Up to 4 chances to win:

1. Please tell me in a comment below what appetizer you serve for a holiday party.

Leave a message below with each action you took, so I can keep track! Good Luck!

Open to U.S. Residents only. No PO Boxes, please. Must be 18 years or older to enter. Contest ends December 18th, 2013 at 9:00 PM, PST and one (1) winner will be randomly chosen from all entries through random.org, and contacted by email. The winner will have 24 hours to respond with a mailing address, or the next winner up will be chosen. Good Luck!